Pope Leo has criticized the culture of power behind the fast growth of artificial intelligence. He cautioned that the technology requires the strictest ethical limits as it spreads into areas from employment to conflict. In his first major encyclical on protecting humanity, the first US-born pope also expressed regret for the Catholic Church’s past failure to denounce slavery sooner. He called it a lasting scar on Christian history and warned of emerging digital forms of enslavement. Breaking with custom, Leo presented the text himself at the Vatican. The document, titled Magnifica Humanitas, highlights a troubling return to war as a tool of global politics and notes that AI is contributing to the acceptance of armed conflict. He stated that AI use in warfare must follow the tightest ethical rules to protect human dignity and life and to prevent an arms race. Leo also pointed out that control over digital systems and data often lies with large economic and tech entities rather than governments. When such control rests with a small group, he said, it can become hidden from public view and lead to new forms of dependence and inequality. The pope, whose family background includes both enslaved people and slaveholders, asked forgiveness for the suffering caused by slavery and the Church’s role in it.
